Trying new things and sharing my experiences

This is my final post for First Time for Everything, and I must say it has been a fun experience overall. I’ve learned alot about the world and myself. One day, I would love to write about more large-scale experiences I have. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog this semester as much as I have had writing it. And if anything, I hope I have somehow inspired you to challenge yourself to try something new. Thanks for reading 🙂

All semester long I’ve been compiling a list of things I want to experience in life. My blog has opened my eyes to all the excitement there is out there. As I read over my list so far, I saw I had “Go and bet at a horse race”. Well, why wait? I decided this past week to make one of my life goals happen now: I attended the AC Horse Races.

I had always seen horse races on TV where women wear big fancy hats to the Kentucky Derby and men place high bets. Each year, the horse races come to the Atlantic City Racetrack at the end of April, and many locals attend with their families. The idea of placing small bets on horses with crazy names always sounded like so much fun to me. Even though I had heard so much about them, I had never attended.

What did I think? I loved it. Post time was at 3:30 PM, so my friend Ben and I arrived at 3 to buy a game book and look over which horses were racing first. There were all kinds of statistics on each horse, their trainer, and their racing records. To a beginner like me, it was confusing so I had to ask a couple of the older men there for their strategies. They said to look over what kind of race it was (turf, distance, etc..) From there, they said look at how well each horse had done in prior races. Alot of the horses at these local race tracks are not very experienced, so picking a horse to win, place, or show is based on luck. My final strategy? Choose the one with the best name. For Race 1, I chose “Lady Fendi” to Win, meaning she had to win out of all 12 horses in order for me to get my money. I put down $2 and waited to see what happened. Well, Lady Fendi didn’t even win, place, or show (meaning come in first, second, or third) so I lost my money. That seemed to be the theme for the rest of the day for me. Three bucks gone here, two bucks lost there… But I had a really fun time. It was interesting to watch how people bet differently and how the horses are trained, maintained, and showcased by their owners.

Many people have “bucket lists” of goals they want to achieve and experiences they want to have in their lifetime. This list I’ve created is no where near done, but it’s a start:

One thing I’ve learned with trying new things is that with one experience comes the desire for another. Since the horse races were great, I altered my list and added “Attend the Kentucky Derby”. If I’ve learned anything this semester, it is that life is a journey. I’m excited to see where that journey takes me!

Sometimes new tasks come to you when you’re not even looking. I definitely was not trying to fix a flat tire, but the situation presented itself. My boyfriend and I were driving when I hit the curb (not anything new for me, oops). The car seemed to be driving okay for the first few miles, and then we heard a POP! On 322, we stepped out and looked at the bubble that had formed on my front right tire.

In a state of panic, I realized I did not have AAA emergency road service or even money for a towing company. My boyfriend laughed at me and said, “You are such a girl. You can put a doughnut on it. This is not a problem, Shay.” No problem to him, right? I had no clue how to change a tire. Yet he showed me step by step. (more…)

I created a map as an interactive experience for my audience (so they could actually look up the addresses of some of the places I have been so far this semester for this blog specifically). From Philadelphia to Atlantic City to right next door at Rowan University, this map is a more extensive look at what I’ve accomplished so far. Check it out for yourself and maybe jot down some addresses so you can try out these things too!

Recently, I got a new job at in an Atlantic City gourmet restaurant. The training process is intense and highly confidential (which is why I can’t disclose the exact name of the restaurant). People often vary on what they think “Fine Dining” is. Based on my experience so far, I can say it is much different than the chain restaurants I’ve worked for in the past. Sure, I was taught how to serve food and deal with customers. But I was never required to become an expert on the product I am selling.

My new serving job entails a complex training process where I must learn every ingredient to all the menu items. I studied all the salads and fried foods for a written test today. If I pass this exam, I move on to the grilled section. It isn’t just “Oh, this salad has tomatoes, red onions, and a vinaigrette dressing”. Instead, it’s detailed and specific. Julienne tomatoes, Greek-style herb-vinaigrette made with thyme, basil, and oregano, napa cabbage, haricot vert. It’s a whole new world.

I also have become aware of all the different food allergies. Every dish has about four or more allergies so it is important to study what has dairy, shellfish, cilantro allergies, etc. Also, cooking styles are way more than grilling a chicken breast. I’ve learned that braising is the cooking method of browning food in fat at a low heat for a long period of time in order to tenderize the food and develop flavor as their fibers are broken down. And this is just one of the 22 cooking techniques I am required to explain to the customers!

I have a new respect for fine dining facilities. It is much more complex and takes a great knowledge of food, customers, cultures, and creativity to create the dishes served at my restaurant. You may not want to study food, but my suggestion to everyone is take a real hard look at the menu the next time you go out. It is very interesting to think about every little ingredient and method that goes in to creating your food!

It is time for the usual summer shape up now that it’s officially spring. Girls everywhere are starting up fad diets and using gym memberships that they’ve had all year but used maybe twice. I’m no exception. I’ve already cut out soda and started eating more vegetables, but I realize it’s important to exercise in order to be healthier.

But what’s something new and different that I can try while accomplishing the task of getting into shape? I’m going to try the very popular Zumba class. It’s all the craze. Latin dancing combined with resistance training… Sounds interesting but challenging! To make sure I am capable of doing the class and to find out more before I dive into the world of Zumba, I have set up an interview with an instructor. Stay tuned.

Apparently, I am now a “follower” in many senses of the word. Yes, I am challenging myself to try out Twitter.

In Online Journalism class, we had a whole lesson on the new phenomena. It’s pretty much everywhere from television shows to online news. Signing into WordPress today, there’s an informational post on how to add Twitter to your blog. Well, that’ what I’m doing.

What is Twitter? I’m still trying to figure that out. It’s been compared to Facebook Status updates and how people constantly tell what they are doing to their social network online. However, people who use Twitter say it’s much different- and in fact, better. Twitter describes itself as “a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”From my recent research, journalists, friends, family, celebrities- everyone seems to have a Twitter account. Where have I been?

I was not going to make an account. I hesitate about signing up for online social networks because of the lack of privacy, plus I hate admitting I’ve given into a trend. But when I received an e-mail from Twitter announcing my mother had invited me to Twitter- yes, even my mother’s with the program- I realized it was time to try something new.

Food shopping for me is a process rather than a quick twenty minute errand. I read all the labels with every suggested recipe on the back and then compare calorie counts. During this week’s food shopping trip to ShopRite I found myself wandering around (like usual). I ended up in the gourmet section near the strange cheeses and dips when it hit me- I’ve never tried any of them! So, I decided to buy hummus.

I’ve always seen it on menus, suggested with pita bread or fresh veggies. I bought Athenos Roasted Red Pepper for about three dollars, grabbed some tomatoes, cucumbers, and crackers for dipping, and headed home.

My verdict? It was very bland. The texture of the chickpeas and roasted peppers mixed with olive oil made it very thick. I guess I assumed that this would mean it would have more flavor, but it was the opposite.

I guess I’m not understanding the whole hummus fad. I mean there is even blogs about Hummus! But I’m not closed-minded. Maybe I’ll try another brand or flavor. People have even suggested going to a local authentic Greek restaurant which is something I think would hopefully be better than the packaged product I had. So maybe a future goal of mine will be to try homemade, authentic hummus? We will see! 🙂

Hi! I’m Shana Gorski,a junior at Rowan University currently majoring in Journalism. I love singing, shopping, acting, being with friends, etc. (The usual things a 20-year-old college girl enjoys). However, I’ve decided I want more life experience outside of my usual daily routines, and let’s face it… Rowan can get kind of boring. As if creating a blog isn’t hard enough for the non-internet savvy like myself, I’ve decided to step outside the norm and challenge myself to try new things as a part of my beat for this blog. My goal is to report on my own personal accounts with trying something new and hopefully, I can encourage college students like myself to try new things as well! I am optimistic about this blog and excited to see where it takes me 🙂